McCain funeral: Bush and Obama expected to speak, Trump not wanted

With a police escort, a procession follows the hearse carrying the late Arizona Senator John McCain along Interstate 17 on the way to Phoenix. Photos / AP

Two former presidents are expected to speak at US Senator John McCain's service and he will lie in state in both the nation's capital and Arizona as part of a cross-country funeral procession ending with his burial at the US Naval Academy.

McCain had long feuded with President Donald Trump, and two White House officials said McCain's family had asked, before the senator's death, that Trump not attend the funeral services.

Vice-President Mike Pence is likely to attend, said the officials.

A day after McCain died of brain cancer at 81, his family, friends and congressional and state leaders were working out details of the farewell to the decorated Vietnam War hero, prisoner of war and six-term senator.

The funeral plans:

Arizona
His office website said McCain will lie in state and have funeral services in Arizona on Thursday and Friday. McCain died at his Arizona ranch. A black hearse, accompanied by a police motorcade, could be seen driving away from the ranch near Sedona where McCain spent his final weeks. For 80km along Interstate 17 southbound, on every overpass and at every exit ramp, people watched the procession. Hundreds, including many waving American flags, parked their cars and got out to watch. Arizona's GOP Governor Doug Ducey does not plan to announce his selection of a Senate successor to McCain until after McCain's burial. Under state law, the governor's appointee to serve until the next general election in 2020 must come from the same political party.

Washington
The procession will then head to Washington, where McCain will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. There will then be a procession past the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a funeral service at Washington National Cathedral.

Maryland
A private funeral is planned at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, who blocked McCain's own White House ambitions, are among those expected to speak at McCain's funeral. "These were bitter contests, both of them," said Senator Jeff Flake, (R) of Arizona, and "to ask them to speak at your funeral, and for them to be honored at the opportunity, that tells you all you need to know."

Flags flying a half-staff in honour of Senator John McCain frame the US Capital at daybreak in Washington.

Trump tweeted that his "deepest sympathies and respect" went out to McCain's family. First lady Melania Trump tweeted thanks to McCain for his service to the country.

"The nation mourns the loss of a great American patriot, a statesman who put his country first and enriched this institution through many years of service," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Other tributes poured in from around the globe.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted in English that McCain "was a true American hero. He devoted his entire life to his country."

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said McCain's support for the Jewish state "never wavered. It sprang from his belief in democracy and freedom."

And Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, called McCain "a tireless fighter for a strong transatlantic alliance. His significance went well beyond his own country."

A makeshift memorial builds at the office of Arizona Republican Senator John McCain in Phoenix.

"He had a joy about politics and a love for his country that was unmatched," said Senator Amy Klobuchar, (D).

"And while he never made it to the presidency, in the Senate, he was the leader that would see a hot spot in the world and just say, we need to go there and stand up for that democracy."

Former Vice-President Joe Biden, who developed a friendship with McCain while they served together in the Senate, said the Arizona lawmaker will "cast a long shadow."

Biden said: "The spirit that drove him was never extinguished: we are here to commit ourselves to something bigger than ourselves."

- AP